"Tainted Survivors are dangerous; there is no way around that. Iheir additional strength, in the beginning, is no joke... But depending on how deeply the curse ied their being before the First Awakening, this evolutionary mistake bee the biggest disadvahose survivors will ever face.

  So remember, my dear students, if you ever find yourself walking through a freshly broken Universe and enter a Tainted Survivor, kill them. It's a mercy, for them and those who might suffer iure thanks to their decisions. Destroy them, se their souls of the Void's taint, ahem rest."

  ~tral Academy, Ger

  Even on the way here, Leo already khis would happen. After all, if someoold him the same thing that he had just blurted to Dyn, an expnation would be the bare minimum in his demands.

  However, some things had to remain a secret... Like the death of the two poli that wao get free experie of him. Or Leo's new ability to take over creatures of the Void.

  Sure, it might seem unnecessary to hide information about this particur teique. But bine his neearah the nature of Minor Takeover, and people could e to some pretty disturbing clusioively fast.

  A problem for tomorrow... The Runner is long dead, so I have nothing to trol anyway. Leo shook his head lightly and addressed the older man. "I do that. Though, I really don't want to repeat myself, so..."

  As he trailed off, Dyn nodded briskly. "Aye, you're right. Let's get inside, and then you fill us in on how you mao wake up the whole bloody Wolford. Hell, wouldn't be surprised if the nearby vilges 'eard that racket too."

  Sn, Leo refined from smirking. Dyn was at least trying to aal, and his teeth were far from f sight. "It wasn't that loud. I mean, my hearing wasly at its best at the time, but still..."

  Dyn chuckled. "Whatever floats your boat, mate." As his ughter subsided, he paused just before the entrao the living room and gave him a bit snce. "And, Leo? It might take some time to get used to the new you, but remember what I said. If you ever o talk, I'm ‘ere to help."

  Freezing momentarily, Leo felt his mouth curl into a very small, almost unnoticeable smile. Though, it might have e out more as a grimace with his new facial structure.

  Oh well. At least I didn't show my teeth. That's got to t for something.

  "Thanks... I will remember that, but I'm fine, really." Or rather as fine as someone who had just lost another family member and transformed into a monster could be. "Now let's get this over with, eh? Then I see if my new evolution handle Laura's iion."

  Dyn's eyes immediately lit up. "Of course, of course! e on then, I'm sure Tyler at least had the seo warn Laura about your... erm, distinct appearance," he finished somewhat awkwardly.

  That's one way to put it. Leo almost ughed. Instead, he just followed Dyn into the rge room, his eyes instantly falling on the duo sitting on a broken couch.

  Tyler already had his eyes firmly pnted ohe hunting rifle was still in his hands, but at least this time, the younger man refrained from pointing the on in his dire. Leo would call it a small win in his books.

  Now in parison, the warrior's cousin, while also having her eyes glued to his new form, her gaze held a look of wonder. "Wow," Laura muttered. "Is this what evolution is capable of? That's so cool..."

  As if realizing what just left her mouth, Laura shrunk into the couch, grimag slightly. She eveed her eyes, refusing to look at anything but her hands.

  Okay? So that just happened... Leo snorted internally and looked at Tyler, who was massaging his brow. Huh... Well, thank you, Laura, for breaking the ice. Your sacrifice will be remembered.

  "Lu..." Tyler sighed. "Of course, you would think a human transformed into a moraight out of nightmares is cool. Why did I even bother..."

  A ugh suddeed from Leht. "That's little Laura for ya," Dyn said, still chug. "Remember what I said about horror flicks from Hollywood? Well, that ss is a fan. Hard to believe, I know, but when it es to fa' Voidlings, she's the bravest of the three of us."

  Dyn was right.

  Leo had a hard time believing that this shy girl wasn't scared of those monsters outside. He could uand being a fan of horrors or monstrous abominations, but this was the real world.

  I guess I was right. This Outbreak truly made people mad. Leo almost scowled as his inner beast let out something akin to a snigger. Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, but remember who is in trol here.

  And suddenly, his mind was quiet again.

  Shaking his head lightly, Leo decided to just try to carry on with this lighter tone of versation. No reason to make Tyler tense all ain when his cousin did such a wonderful job of redug him to an exasperated older sibling.

  "Thanks, Laura… I think?" Leo spoke up, and the girl slowly raised her head, shoulders suddenly tense. "It is o know that at least someone appreciates my new form."

  When Laura's eyes finally found Leo's, he still saw the childlike gleam in them, but now they also held a hint of fear. Evidently, his new beautiful voice could scare off even a horror fanatiaybe it was the fact that he could speak at all?

  Ah, who the hell knows. Not that it matters anyway... Leed internally and addressed the girl again before she grew even more tense. "How's the iion?"

  Laura blinked, probably taken off guard by the sudden ge of subject. Even Tyler, o her, flinched a bit, his focus once more directed fully on Leo.

  "Better overall, but worse than after what you have dohe girl replied finally, cradling her ied limb. "I stay awake, and it doesn't hurt as much, but it's slowly spreading again."

  Leo nodded, his own eyes settled on the ied skin. The girl was still pale, but the green, malformed texture on her arm and shoulder had regained some iy since he had left. Another few hours or a full day, and it would be back to the same state from this m.

  So it acts quite slowly overall... You would think that with the world as it is, even a random iion would kill a beginner survivor in a matter of hd I was wrong.

  "Alright then. My evolution gave me an enhanced version of the ability I tried to help you with before," Leo expined, raising one hand. "I try again now if you want. Even if it doesn't heal you fully, the oute should still be much better."

  Holy, Leo had no idea if that was the truth, but healing Laura was the only way to get some trust from the trio or at st some goodwill. Devour is two grades better. There is no way it won't work at all. You're not that cruel, System…

  Yet before Laura could ayler, who had been in a hushed versation with Dyn, interrupted her. "I would like to hear what happened when you were gone first," the warrinored his cousin's gre. "Dyn tells me that you are responsible for the cloud of dust above the town square."

  Laura immediately snapped her head towards Leo, her anger fotten. "That was you?"

  Shrugging, Leo slid to the ground, leaning against a wall far from the trio. "Partially. I might be strohan most, but that kind of destru is beyond me."

  For now, Leo added in the safety of his mind. Though anyone who took their growth seriously could one day be capable of what the Cursed Juggernaut did to those buildings.

  "Then how?" Laura queried and leaned forward. At the same time, Tyler slumped in his seat, his head buried in his hand, while Dyn just chuckled silently, shaking his head at the duo…

  Watg the three, Leo swallowed hard as he fought the urge to turn away. A sight like this reminded him of what he had already lost and might have been lost without even knowing.

  Edward and Nick were gone forever. Adam, Eva, and Lily could be dead for all he knew. And the less he thought about his foster parents hundreds of kilometers away, the better.

  God... I really love t myself... Leo scowled, once more pushing his worries to the deepest recesses of his mind. They still be out there, waiting. I just o find them, like Nikra told me…

  Just then, someone nudged him and Leo looked up at Dyn, who had a broken table leg in his hand. Really, he couldn't evehem for not toug him sidering all the natural onry he now possessed.

  "Sot lost in my thoughts. It's been one hell of a day, so I'm looking food pce to start with," Leo expined, ign the knowing glint in Dyn's eyes. That guy had to be a therapist before the Outbreak…

  "Like they say, the beginning is usually the best pce to start."

  Chug, Leo nodded anyway. Might as well. We have time, after all.

  Just like the trio wanted, Leo reted his journey into the city as well as he could. Of course, he skipped most of his exploration of Nick's house, and no one dared to interrupt him, something he has thankful for.

  The part about item adva, along with Minor Takeover, was also wholly omitted. As much as Leo liked the trio — well… the duo — they didn't o know about his unique e to the Void. No one should really know about it if he wao be ho…

  After that came the wonderful appearance of Tainted Wastend, and here Leo found himself answering a dozeions. From unique moo the Wastend's overall appearance, he answered them all along with describing his eeting with death while skipping a part or two.

  "And that's pretty much it," Leed as he had just finished skimming over his evolution.

  By this point, whatever reservations the trio had toward him mostly faded as the group watched him with varying levels of incredulity. Though he didn’t doubt that the moment the shock from the onsught of information disappeared, their wariness would e ba full force.

  Still, much to his surprise, it was Tyler who spoke first. "I don't know if I should praise the brass pair of balls you apparently carry around or curse you for being suicidal..."

  "Probably both," Leo chuckled. "Trust me, I know my decisions back then weren't the smartest... 't pin though. Without that suicidal mission, I wouldn't have unlocked this evolution."

  By the looks Tyler and Dyn shot Leo, they definitely didn't agree that his current form was worth it. However, at least Laura nodded in agreement, so there was that.

  "So I take my story was satisfactory?" Leo asked before more questions or weird ents could e up. Also, as a former reporter, it was o see he still knew how to spin a story... Even if it cked some crucial details...

  "Aye, you could say that, d," Dyn muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sure I'll 'ave a few more questions for ya ter, but for now, this should be enough. God knows I'll need a few hours to process what you just dumped on us."

  Both Tyler and Laura that, and Leo uood well what they felt. He had been there not that long ago, accepting more and more of this new world.

  Sure, there was still much he didn't know. But with his trip into the Void, versation with Nikra, and being her Legacy, he already uood much more about what was happening around them than anyone oh.

  Still, they had a lot more to talk about this night, starting with the most important problem.

  "Laura," Leo called out, the girl instantly meeting his gaze. "How about I get this thing off you now?"

  Gulping, the girl g her iion, then back at him. “Okay,” she nodded slowly.

  Chaos65